I wasn’t always the biggest supporter of crowdfunding. Up till a year ago, my only real experience was people messaging me and asking for help funding their film or webseries. Or if I couldn’t, would I write up an article or tweet out the info to their Kickstarter campaign.
Well, no, I won’t help out. I didn’t know them. I didn’t care about the project. And say I did send you some money… what I would I get for it? A credit at the end of the film? Big whoop.
But then, because I’m incredibly slow in picking up trends, I discovered that crowdfunding was actually something totally different than what I had been experiencing. I found that crowdfunding was helping to fund people’s dreams and passions while also reaping the rewards of that passion or next great idea. Have you ever wanted to train your cat to use the toilet? There was a Kickstarter campaign for that. Want a purely electronic wallet? It was on Kickstarter!
Capital C, the great new documentary from directors Timon Birkhofer and Jørg M. Kundinger follows three very different people over a three year period as they launch and follow-through on their Kickstarter campaigns; poker card designer Jack Robinson, video game developer Brian Fargo (Wasteland) and Shark Tank star Zach Crain, who created Freaker, a one size fits all beverage insulator. Three totally different products, all three were completely funded and all three of the people are equally passionate about their work.
We see the journey each takes to getting their products out to market and none of them are easy. Robinson spends more time making cards than with his family, Fargo struggles to make the fans of his videogame happy while going on a hiring spree and Crain has to deal with not only a break in of his offices but another company has stolen his design and is starting to sell it online for a cheaper price.
I wish the filmmakers would have dealt with some of the apparent scams that have been talked about but beyond that, this entertaining doc will surely make you appreciate the hard work and dedication of these entrepreneurs. It might even make you want to take a look at Kickstarter and see what’s out there. I did and now I’m soon to be the proud owner of an Airhook, billed as a “Legroom-Saving Airline Travel Accessory That Holds Your Beverage & Electronics.” Yay me!
Capital C is in theaters and on VOD July 24th. For more info: www.capitalc-movie.com
